MAFL Chronicles - Q&A with the Champions

Pisces 6, 2078, m249

Before the start of the inaugural season, MAFL Commissioner Aiger Masing gave each team the task of chronicling their experiences over the 21 week season.  Each team was given the liberty to record their stories in the format of their choice.  This series shares some of the excerpts from these chronicles.   In this edition, we begin with the Champions, the Marineris Comets. The Comets documented their season with weekly post-game interviews.

The following is the last Q&A interview they made the week following their championship victory on Kumbha 17.  It features Manager Gordan J. Pryce, Captain Liddell Bradley, Stephen Liu, Samantha Park, and Zaida Agre.

Stephen Liu, Defender of the Year.

How does it feel being the MAFL Champions? 

Bradley:  It’s a phenomenal experience. The championship has given the entire colony an enormous boost of energy that you can feel everywhere you go. We were the first colony on Mars and now we’re also the first MAFL champion – that can never be taken away from us. 

PRYCE: The reality of it all still amazes me. Honest truth is if you had told me we would be champs before the start of the season, I’d tell you, your oxygen supply must be a bit low. In an unproven game with rookie clubs and no precedence, no one knew what the outcome would be.

When in the season did you start to think, we could really win the whole thing?

PRYCE: Well, you have to remember, we were a .500 team for the first third of the season. We’d win one lose one, win one, lose one, we had no momentum in the beginning. 

BRADLEY:  It was around Week 9, when we went on this fantastic run winning our next 5 games. That was the first time I let myself think, hmmm, maybe we have a shot at the whole thing. Then the Titans come into our house and beat us in Week 14 – our 2nd loss to them that season!  So long as they were around, there was doubt in our minds.

LIU: It’s easy for me to say now but those doubts started to disappear for me when we outgunned Al’amal 7-3 in the Semi-Finals. That was when I started believing we would win the whole thing, even with the Titans awaiting us in the Finals. 

The Titans were clearly your biggest opponent. How did you really feel about Ware’s infamous, “We Own them” comment? 

LIU:  I wanted to throttle her!

PARK: That type of braggadocio I expected from her teammate Readale Nash. 

AGRE: As the only Woman captain in the league, Raenia is someone I look up to. She carried herself with class all season, so it was really disappointing.  The timing couldn't have been worse considering what the league was going through.

BRADLEY:  I called her once I heard the comment. “You’re better than this”, I told her, and to her credit, she apologize. 

PRYCE: It wasn't a good display for her, but in many ways, it motivated us through the playoffs.  That little comment may have made the ultimate difference.

Were the Titans the biggest obstacle in your championship run? 

PRYCE:  I’d say we had three big obstacles. Early on, it was our lack of consistency, searching for our team identity. Mid-way, we released it was the Titans who would be the team to beat so what do we do. Later on, it was Yamen’s death that really took a tole – overcoming was probably our biggest obstacle. 

Tell me about Warren’s tragic death?

AGRE:  Devastating. He was part of our little family… it was just so surreal and so sudden… we prepared all season for all types of scenarios, but there was no way to prepare for what happened.

BRADLEY: It’s never a good time for these kind of thing to happen, but with just one match before the start of the playoffs? A number of us were still in therapy that week leading up to our final regular season match with the Titans, which we lost. Somehow were were able to channel the grief into winning and doing it in Yamen's memory made it that much more meaningful.

Any truth to the mid-season rumour you were close to bidding for Darkeem Dennis? 

LIU:  I think Gordan should answer that question. 

PRYCE: Nice defence, Stephen.  Full disclosure, we were really considering acquiring him from Dong Ji. Credit to our Chair, Elizabeth Foster, who was ready to pull the trigger, but we didn’t for a few reasons. First, even though I like Darkeem, I was concerned about his game breaking ability as he hadn’t scored in 7 matches. Second, Europa was desperate and we weren't interested enough to engage in a bidding war... because we would have won.  Ultimately,  Marysa Waaijer was a better fit.  

BRADLEY:  At the time, I thought we blew it and I let Gordan know that.

PRYCE:  You weren't shy about that.  One thing is for sure, neither Dennis or Europa got what they needed from that transaction.  And clearly, things worked out alright for us.

Going back to the very beginning, what was it like playing Football on Mars?

PARK:  If you mean the first time playing outdoors, it was weird.  The equipment made it awkward and unnatural.

AGRE:  The first time I had to face one of those boosted shots was an eye opener.

LIU:  Eventually around the 3rd week, it just felt right to me, like we were just playing football. 

What’s next for the Comets? 

AGRE: Rest.

PARK: See my loved ones. You'd be amazed with road trips and training how little time you spend with your family.

PRYCE:  Well enjoy it wile you can,  we'll start practicing next month. 

BRADLEY: Come on, Coach!

PRYCE:  A championship just doesn’t defend itself. But, I guess we can make it a month and a half.

---

Next in the series, we will look at the Titans and what might have contributed to their undoing.
 

A New Year from Earth

Pisces 3, 2078, m249

There are still 18 month before the New Martian Year, but one of the benefits of life on Mars is the milestones of two planets.   As we come out of celebrating the holidays of Earth and closing out another year on the Gregorian calendar, we are suddenly reminded of the void left behind when our first professional sport season has also come to an end. Season 2 of the MAFL won't be coming around  until the month of Mesha, that's an unbearable 4 months away.

Tryouts in Wendland - This European-rooted colony has made a bid for team expansion.  They don't want to rely on sister-colony Europa for a championship.

In fact, we won't have to wait long.  The MAFL has been quiet, but that doesn't mean nothing is happening.  Aside from all the post-mortem meetings happening at the Europa headquarters, we already know that there are at least three colonies bidding to get into the league.  The industrial-town of Wendland is a strong contender with a rapidly growing population expected to exceed 4000 in population this year; the affluent Columbia Hills also come as no surprise, especially after the incredible athletic performance of Alan Sawyer who took stage 5 of Pathfinder Marathon; but perhaps Korolev may come as surprise.  The small settlement near Cassini is best remembered for temporarily hosting the Dynamos during the Chubarov outbreak at Noviymir.  After getting an adhoc stadium built, it clearly stirred their ambitions to play in it themselves.

Though it is unlikely to to see the MAFL expand too quickly, it does indicate that there will be exciting additions for Season 2.  There are no shortage of trade rumours and reports of clubs actively courting marathon racers.  Europa United has not confirmed signing Gunvir Pachehra, the Overall Men's Winner.  Should Pachehra give up his career as a physicist to join United, he would become the oldest player in the league.

Rather than crying a bowl of salty tears in wait of season 2, this is, in fact, likely the most exciting time for any fan.  Not only is the MAFL actively evolving, but it is very likely that m249 will be remembered as the year that the face of Martian culture changes because of games.  A plethora of new sports are approaching the starting gate and unlike the rocky beginnings of the MAFL, there are no shortage of investors willing to play, and two inhabited planets in the solar system ready to watch.

Tragedy and Triumph.

Unbelievable! What drama! What triumph! The first season of the Mars Aero Football League was a resounding success. This tiny little idea that people would be interested in a new Martian sport created a  greater impact than anyone could have imagined.

Of course, personally, I’m still crushed.  My poor Titans. My wonderful, sweet Titans. They made it the entire way to the championship only to be defeated. And on home turf no less. Now, the Comets played a great match, so I can’t be too miffed, but the Titans were saddled with a series of injuries. Their aggressive style of play got them through the season at the top of the standings, but it came at cost, and I would love to see how a fully healthy Titans team would fare against the Comets.

The arena was packed. I’ve never attended any event like it. There is an energy that is created when you have a crowd of that size, even when we are gently packed into spectator transports. With every goal there was a thunder from the five-thousand-plus crowd. People were having a great time and they knew that they were part of history.

The population of Sans Olympus swelled by fifty percent, with sports tourists from every colony wanting to see this main event of the season. I will be interested to see if MAFL can build upon this, and be a driver for inter-colony tourism. The tourism economy is small part of overall Martian GDP, but it is growing exponentially with each passing month.

I’ve heard that Earth has also been overwhelmed with excitement about this championship match. Earth viewership of the event was more than twice as high as the next most watched game, and proves that interest in Martian sports goes far beyond our colonies on the Red planet.

So what is next for MAFL? The Commissioner has been coy, but there is no doubt that a 2nd season will occur, and with it will most likely bring some changes to rules, team rosters, and even league size. I don’t want to start any rumours, but there has been some interest from a few colonies to field an additional team. This might be smoke and wishes, but eventually we will need to talk expansion.

And what about my Titans? Even though they lost, Sans Olympus held a hero’s parade for them to show our love and support. We also got to see why these athletes are role models to so many Martians.  As I mentioned, there were a number of injuries so a group of players, including team caption Ware, needed to visit the hospital in Sans Olympus.

Medical breakthroughs have been rampant over the last century, and prevention against disease was one of the main problems Earth scientists looked at before anyone ever set foot on Mars, but sickness and injury still occur. Most of the medical work is done by robots, but human doctors are still the main force of diagnosis and treatment. The human touch is calming for the afflicted, especially when they are children.

Now, there aren’t many sick children in the Sans Olympus hospital, but when Captain Ware heard that there were some in the wing next to her, she gathered her teammates for a visit that these young fans will never forget. The look on their little faces was priceless, even for XX (insert name) who happily told them that the Comets were his favourite team. Each child got an autograph, a mini game ball toy, and a team picture. It was a fun time that was honestly needed as much for the Titans as it was for the kids.

It should serve as a reminder that MAFL isn’t just a bunch of people playing a game; it is a new part of Martian culture that has reverberated all throughout our society. I can’t wait to see what next season will bring.

Comets Claim MAFL Championship!

San Olympus – Saturni, Kumbha 7, 2077, m249

Over 5,000 football fans descended on Olympus Park for the largest single gathering ever for a Mars event to witness the Marineris Comets stun the favoured San Olympus Titans with a decisive 4-1 victory to capture the first ever MAFL championship.

Residents from across the colonies congregated at San Olympus, inflating the usual 12,000 population to almost 18,000 these past days. This unforeseen population spike had officials panicking all week on whether they could keep the colony afloat.

So crews worked around the clock to transform public areas and even cargo bays into event facilities.

Surplus air, water and other supplies were ordered weeks in advance in anticipation of this potential final. However, the sheer onslaught of visitors moved the other colonies to offer their support to help San Olympus breathe more easily. 

The inter-colony audience overflowed the parkade at Olympus Park, which was bursting at the seams. Never had so many Spectator transports been packed so closely before as 5,128 fans watched and proudly displayed their favourite MAFL colours.

And no two colours shined more brightly than the Titans’ Purple and the Comets’ Blue as the two teams put on a scintillating classic that delivered drama and action throughout the match.

While San Olympus A-list socialite Sasha Bayley made her appearance with her rendition of the national anthem, her boyfriend would not.  Readale Nash, the Titans leading scorer, reinjured himself during practice and was not suited for the match. Also missing in action, MAFL goalkeeper of the year, Icilio De Sisto of the Titans who suffered a shoulder injury in the semi-final match against the Immortals.

This made for a naturally frenetic match and the Comets poured on the offense to take advantage of the Titans’ key absences.

The genesis of a chance emerged with pressure from Stephen Liu on a loose ball that ultimately opened an opportunity for team-mate Luz Obregón, who sought the far right corner with a low drive from an acute angle, but dragged the effort a bit wide of the net.

Titans’ defender Alberto Rubio went down with injury in his feverish pursuit of Obregón on the play.

One less Titan allowed for the Comets to dominate possession for the better half of the quarter-hour as in succession: Liu and Liddell Bradley had reachable targets inside the danger zone but were left bemoaning their efforts as Titan goalkeeper Usian Busara was looking sharp.

After narrowly holding off the early burst of Comets’ intensity, the Titans finally rallied back.

With 20 minutes on the clock, it looked like Jube Terrell opened scoring as she controlled a Raenia Ware delivery and quickly blasted it past Zaida Agre. But luck would desert her as the officials rightly adjudged her offside to keep the match goalless.

A minute later, Terrell collected a pass from Baja Avdi just inside the penalty box and tried to guide home the ball with a side-foot past Agre who managed to poke the ball out of harm’s way.

And just as it looked like Ware would put her team on top with a rush down the right flank, the Comets Vitor Vargas Medina played her a snug too tight causing both players to crash to the ground.

While Medina got up, Ware did not. Ware’s ankle, injured for a significant portion of the season, couldn't hold up. Ware refused to go to the locker room and demanded to remain on the sidelines to give her teammates ongoing encouragement.

But the Titans’ injuries continued to piled on.  Backup goalkeeper Usian Busara was taken out at the 27th minute, forcing Titan manager, Paulo Salgado, to insert unproven defender, Satsaroop Saprai, into an unbelievably high stake, high pressure situation.

In efforts to protect their untested goalkeeper, the Titans overcompensated which led to defender Terry Park overexerting and becoming the next victim to injury with 3 minutes remaining in the half.

With Rubio, Ware, Busara and now Park all gone (in addition to Nash and De Sisto being out), the Comets could smell blood.

Despite this, Titans’ Tarik Lema Girma fought back with a well-timed boost that propelled a stunning strike that flew into the top left corner from just inside the penalty area for the 1st goal of the match.

Titans 1 Comets 0.

Unfortunately, this momentum would not last as the Titans would display a slew of uncharacteristic mistakes.

The first came in the final minute of the half as a weak clearing attempt from Saprai was intercepted by Liu who fed a pass to Amanda Coronel who thundered a header precisely into the right post corner as a hesitant Saprai watched.

Titans 1 Comets 1.

The pace from the outset of the second half was relentless.

On the sidelines, Ware encouraged her teammates on.  Despite the Comets focus on containing Terrell, she caused some alarm by galloping along the right touchline and to the near post before finally getting crowded out by a combination of defence and goalkeeper.

With each passing minute, the match became increasingly stretched, with neither team yielding in their attacking ambitions.

Then at the 74th minute, the decisive moment arrived. Liu intercepted an errant pass from the Titans, dribbled from the halfway line past three Titans defenders and then clipped the ball to Luz Obregón. The 24-year-old used exquisite technique to cushion the ball on his chest and then watch his cool side-foot drift over Saprai and into the top right corner. 

Comets 2 Titans 1.

That goal would open the flood gates as the Comets rushed through with another goal two minutes later.  Another misplayed pass from the Titans landed onto Bradley’s foot where he sent a cross from the right, which was met by Jonathan Elliot with a sliding volley into the lower left corner.

Comets 3 Titans 1.

The Titans tried to mount an attack, but were met by a swarm of Comets.  A series of crisp pass combinations would allow Alessandro Ferraz to finish with a low shot that easily beat the hapless Saprai.

Comets 4 Titans 1.

The tired and crippled Titans valiantly fought to the end, but the final whistle marked a stunning ending to their season and redemption for the Comets.

“They said we couldn’t beat them but we did when it counted most,” said Bradley as he was showered with champagne by his jubilant teammates in the locker room. “They can have the MAFL Team of the Year Award – I’d rather be hoisting the Championship!”

“We’ve developed a team spirit which has been unbelievable based on the tumultuous season we’ve had with Warren’s death,” said Comets Manager Gordan J. Pryce, “I think it’s just fitting that the first Mars colony would also be home to the first ever MAFL championship.”  

“My players were warriors and I congratulated them afterwards because, beyond the disappointment of the result, they played their hearts out”, said a dejected but composed Titans Manager, Salgado. “When you lose key players, you know it's difficult to turn it around but it's clear they gave everything for the Titans jersey today. However, I congratulate Marineris on winning the title.”

As would Commissioner Aiger Masing during the championship trophy ceremony.

“First off I would like to thank San Olympus for a fabulous job in hosting this week of festivities. However, this could not have happened without the help of all the colonies pitching in. We started this project ten years ago and what has happened today is the result of many years' of planning and failed attempts, but we never gave up. Today was a shining example of what we can all achieve here on Mars. Join me in celebrating your first ever MAFL champions, the Marineris Comets!”

And as Masing presented the Championship trophy to Captain Bradley, the broadcast channel erupted with applause from all the combined feeds including Spectator Transports, public gatherings, and home viewers across the colonies... followed 10 minutes later on Earth.

This concludes Season 1 of the Martian Aero Football League.  Though season 2 is not slated until Mesha, 4 Martian Months away, fans will be eager to see post-season activity within the clubs and follow whether the MAFL will expand with any of the proposals from Wendland, Korolev and Osumi.

Play on, Mars!

Championship Anticipation

Kumbha 7, 2077, m249

Bradley's Comets face Ware's Titans at Olympus Park tomorrow.

Hundreds boarded transport vehicles earlier this week to make the pilgrimage to San Olympus to see who would rise to be the first ever MAFL champion.

“I’ve given my vacation notice for the week because this is going to be one party I don't want to miss.”, said one Europa fan boarding a transport, much to the roaring cheers of her fellow travel mates.

The flow of traffic between Marineris and San Olympus is unprecedented with transport agencies working round the clock shuttling fans the 4500 km distance.  In addition to Marineris residents, hundreds of visitors who came from abroad for Pathfinder Marathon have stuck it out to make the stop to the mountain colony even though the likelihood of acquiring tickets is virtually impossible.

The few scalped tickets that have become available onboard an PTV have reportedly sold for as much as 20 times the original fare.

With PTVs coming in from the colonies, Olympus Park will be at true stadium capacity for the first time.  They have found a way to park an additional 25 visiting transport vehicles, making this the largest single gathering outside a colony facility with more than 5000 spectators expected.

For those who can't make the stadium event, they will be able to enjoy the Championship match through the many parties being held throughout the colonies.  San Olympus itself is being completely transformed to host the surge of visitors; the main promenade, marketplace, and even cargo facilities have been retrofit to support the event.

"We are preparing our infrastructure to handle a population increase of 20%," said Steve Ulytaria, "We will have more than enough air and water, but there is only so much we can do about space."

Interest has also spilled over to Earth as a growing Earth fan base has resulted in a spike in planned coverage with double the resources deployed to cover the event.

“Our viewership numbers have increasingly grown since we started covering MAFL”, said World Associated Press President, Jada Mattata. “We acquired the necessary resources months ago once we saw the early returns. Our fans are in for a treat when they see our superior coverage.”

And will fans be treated to a superior match between the league’s two top teams – The Titans and Comets or will it be a case of the same old, same old?

The Titans are undefeated against the Comets in regular season play, having won all 3 matches.

For the Titans to continue that streak though, they will need to lean heavily on their league leading defence and their reigning MAFL goalkeeper of the year, Icilio De Sisto as their offensive game will be challenged with leading scorer Readale Nash, still bothered by a late season leg injury.

“If Nash can go, that would be huge as he’s the offensive game breaker that can help put us over”, said Ware. “If not, our team has depth and we’ve been successful all year in pulling together to cover off injuries.”

For the Comets, if they bring the same offensive fire they unleashed on Al’amal last week, they could very well overpower the Titans’ air tight defense and goalkeeping.

To help bring that fire, Ware’s infamous words, “We Own You”, have been posted up in the Comets locker room.

“Are we using it as motivation - absolutely,” said Comets Captain Liddell Bradley. “Talk is cheap though so we have to go out there and just do it. Come this Saturni, we’ll see who owns whom”.

Pathfinder Closing Ceremonies

Marineris - Kumbha 1, 2077, m249

Elaine Nguyen (KMH) and Gunvir Pachehra (Europa) take the women's and men's overall title for Pathfinder Marathon 2077.

10 days racing across Valles Marineris came to an end yesterday as the final runners in the women's program comleted Stage 5 and crossed the threshold into Marineris colony.

In a very short period of competition, Pathfinder Marathon has become an interplanetary phenomenon, rivalling the popularity of the Martian Aero Football League among Earth fans.  Virtual sim portals, such as SportzUmbark have lit up with dozens of game titles paying homage to the Martian survival marathon.

Even before the final runners crossed the finish line, signature sponsors Drinqium, Reprogus and AAA Capital Bank had already inked a new deal that would see the expansion of the sporting event.  This led to yesterday's announcement of Pathfinder Sport Athletics Committee  (PSAC).  This newly formed group will not only be responsible for Pathfinder Marathon, but to expand the program.  Aigar Masing, of MAFL fame, has joined the board of directors, adding the marathon to his Mars sport portfolio.

"Pathfinder is another example of how Mars is blossoming,", said Masing, "For decades, Mars has been perceived as a science experiment and strip mine for natural resources, so we are all proud to be evolving beyond those stereotypes; defining our own culture."

Indeed, the marathon has sparked tremendous pride across all the settlements.  Combined with MAFL activities, Marineris was absolutely bursting with excitement and revelry. Pathfinder's Parade of Colonies marched through the colony bringing the festive affair to the thousands of local residents and visitors.

Later that evening, the winners were finally officially recognized, first with awards for individual stage victors.

This was followed by the prestigious Overall Titles.  The overall winners are tabulated on a point system that weighs each stage by difficulty against each challenger's performance (time). A perfect score, winning all 5 stages would result in 10,000 points.

The overall title for women's went to Elaine Nguyen of KMH with a score of 7,032.  Though Geneva Liu and Luisa Murilla took 2 stages each, both had poor results on other stages.  Nguyen's win in Stage 1, the highest difficulty course (accounting for 3000 points), along with strong performances in the other 4, helped her capture the title.  Liu and Murilla ranked 4th and 8th respectively in scoring.

An engineer for the KMH operation by day, Nguyen, downplayed her win, "I still can't believe it.  It's just an honour to be among these brave men and women. Everyone who made the attempt is a hero in my eyes.  Trust me, only 19 of us made it through the entire program."

The men's overall was awarded to Gunvir Pachehra with a total score of 6,343.  A well deserved victory for the 40 year old from Europa who won two critical stages (Noctis Labyrinthus and Melas Chasma) and fought through multiple injuries to avoid disqualification.  

"This has been one of the greatest experiences," said the father of two, "And  tonight, I've been invited to meet with Europa United scouts!"

The momentum from this Pathfinder Marathon 2077 is sure to build as the mantle passes from Marineris.  PSAC closed the ceremonies with an invitation for proposals as they seek the next hosting colony for the next games, to be held in the second half of m249.  Though this may seem like a long time through the lens of a spectator, a half Martian year leaves little preparation time for the next round of hopeful runners.

According to PSAC, "Planning Pathfinder Marathon 2078 started last week."

Comet's Sail To Finals

Solis, Kumbha 1, 2077, m249

Today' battle for the last ticket to the MAFL finals became a high powered shoot-out between the league’s top two scoring teams.  In the regular season, Al’amal scored 36 goals  vs the Comets’ 34 goals.

It took just one minute of play for the scoring to begin; a deep cross from Mussadiq Baddour from the left flank was met by Hamad Fayad who crushed a volley into the top corner past Zaida Agre. 

Al’amal 1 Comets 0.

Earlier this week, it was unclear if Agre would be fit to return for the semi-final match after sustaining injury in the final regular season match against the Titans.  But before any uncertainty could set in, Comets Kemina De Marco would respond just minutes later with the equalizer.

Al’amal 1 Comets 1.

And the goals kept coming.

Stephen Liu, MAFL Defender of the Year,  won the ball from Mahmood Rahimjust outside the penalty area and unleashed a shot into the top far corner for the go ahead goal.

Comets 2 Al’amal 1.

After such a blistering start to the match with three goals in the first six minutes, the pace slowed down, until the Comets dialled up the offence at the 15th minute mark.  After Liu intercepted a weak clearing attempt from Lana Gonzalez, he moved into the penalty area and hit an powerful low shot into the far corner for his second goal of the match.

Comets 3 Al’amal 1.

Right off the ensuing kickoff, the Comets Aba Samma met a deep cross from Liu and back-heeled it past a hapless al-Pour.

Comets 4 Al’amal 1.

With an endless barrage from the Comets, it was fortunate Al'amal was able to hold the rest of the half with just a three goal deficit.

During the halftime interval, Al’amal manager Haajid Nasr tried to motivate and reinvigorate his squad.  When play resumed, he switched strategy from a balanced attack to a more aggressive strategy, borrowing a page from Paulo Salgado’s move that lead to yesterday's Titans come-from-behind victory. 

But alas, that was yesterday.

Today, that move backfired as the Comets exploited their deficient defensive coverage. It took only 4 minutes for Luz Obregón to surge past the shallow defence and connect with a pass from Bradley, which he finished with an acrobatic bicycle kick over a leaping al-Pour.

Comets 5 Al’amal 1.

9 minutes into the 2nd half, Liu gave the Al’amal defence the runaround and beat al-Pour once more to complete his hat-trick.

Comets 6  Al’amal 1.

The Comets started to tighten their defence, nursing their lead.

Desperate to instill some life in his team, al-Pour boosted a charged kick that sailed across the field, landed just past the Comets’ penalty area where it took a freakish bounce past Agre and into the net.

Comets 6 Al’amal 2.

Just 15 minutes later, Fayad found another opportunity to close the gap.  Dragging the ball behind his planted foot with the inside of his crossing foot, he turned and accelerated away from Liu before slotting home Al’amal’s third goal of the match.

Comets 6 Al’amal 3.

With 20 minutes remaining Al’amal’s  poured on the offense with two near scoring chances – one over the Comets net, and another that went wide.

At the 84th minute, Bradley, Liu and Samma drove in the final dagger to shatter any home for an Al'amal comback.  With intricate passing around the edge of the penalty area, Bradley set up Samma, who placed a clean into the Al’amal goal.

Final: Comets 7 Al’amal 3.

“Titans said they owned us in the regular season,” said Bradley. “But the past is the past. It will only take one win next week for them to eat those words.  Based on today’s match, I like our chances."

Next week, Comet's make the Journey to San Olympus Park for the first MAFL Championship Match!

The Final Stretch

The fifth and final stage of the Pathfinder Marathon starts with a vertical climb out of the Marineris Valley—that’s 13,610 m of pure elevation for our racers. Today, 14 of the original 40 women are left to take on the final stretch. The ascent is treacherous and gruelling for the racers that have spent the last 8 days pushing themselves to the absolute limits physically, mentally and emotionally. 

The climb is led by Geneva Liu (winner of stage 4) followed closely by Elaine Nguyen of KMH.

Halfway up the sheer cliffs of the Melas Chasma, Sara Hampton of San Olympus took a DNF after needing multiple rest breaks on the way. As the distance increased between her position and the main group of runners, the exhausted 35 year-old made the decision to tap out.

A broken ledge near the peak caused Arivalagi to lose her footing. and fracture her wrist as she broke her fall. The 23 year old decided to continue racing after being patched up by a medic drone. “The rest of the course is just straight running. I didn’t come this far just to give up now—I just need to pace myself,” said Arivalagi. 

Racers make the ascent up the cliffs of Melas Chasma.

Luisa Murilla, the winner of Stage 2 and 3, is still hurting from her fall in stage 4. She made her way slowly up the side of the Melas Chasma and pulled herself over the peak triumphantly despite being at the very back of the group. 

Stage 5 continues along the along the edge of the Melas Chasma towards Marineris where racers will cross the finish line. The final stretch of the course offers breathtaking panoramas of the terrain the has been covered in the last week.

Murilla can’t catch a break in this stage as a collision with fellow Europa racer, Reyhan Naghiyeva, left cracks in both of their faceplates. The two women were forced to stop running in order for their helmets to be patched and evaluated. Both were deemed safe to continue by race officials.

Three more racers were unable to finish the race and took DNF’s with Marineris in sight. “I can’t believe I was so close to the finish line, but it’s not worth killing yourself over.” said Mahawal, “Oh well, there’s always next year!” she adds hopefully.

Liu maintained her strong lead throughout the entire stage to arrive first in Marineris amongst thunderous applause with the time of 8h 3m. Nguyen followed 46 minutes after to take second place for Stage 5.

Although Liu has taken the stage, it doesn’t mean she’s won the race. Judges will be evaluating the racers and awarding points for each stage based on their finish times. We’ll find out when the judges hand out the prizes at the awards ceremony—it’s been a thrilling week! Stay tuned.

MAFL Titans vs. Immortals Semi-finals

Saturni, Aquarius 28, 2077, m249

After a festive awards celebration last week, the questions leading up to the first semi-final match began.

Who would prevail? The Best Team or the Team with the Best Player?

Would the Titans, recipients of the MAFL Best Team Award, climb another step closer to the mountain top, or would MAFL MVP Uday Lanka, lead his Immortals to a shot at Championship Immortality.

Would MVP Lanka shine as he did in their Week 3 matchup in San Olympus, with a legendary 4 goals that day?

Or would the Titans deploy their league leading team defence to neutralize the Amrita offence and hold them to a single goal like they did in Week 10 and Week 17.

Many questions which were finally answered today; The Titans responded with another 2 – 1 win.

“Sorry to spoil everyone’s expectations but the prevailing wisdom in any team sport, especially in Football, is that the best team usually prevails over the team with the best player,” said a happy Titans manager, Paulo Salgado in the post-game interview.

But Salgado wasn’t always smiling throughout the match.  In fact, Salgado wasn’t smiling for most of the match, as his team narrowly escaped defeat at the last minute.

At the 17th minute, a sliding tackle on the Immortals’ Tia Mancebo from Titans defender María Carballal, led to a Yellow Card given to Carballal and a Free Kick awarded to Mancebo.

And Mancebo delivered a fabulous free kick that whipped over the wall of Titans players, over a leaping IcilioDe Sisto, and into the far top corner to give the Immortals the 1 – 0 lead.

And things got worse for the Titans. Ten minutes later, the Titans’ Tia Shandu was given a Yellow Card for a questionable push against the Immortals’ Uday Lanka. Shandu’s disdain for the call escalated into a heated discussion and nudge of a referee-bot, which led to a full on Red Card and dismissal from the match.

The Titans were unable to gain any control over the 1st half. While Titans’ leading scorer Readale Nash was suited up, he was in the sidelines nursing the injury he suffered two weeks ago.

His absence was missed as the offensive malaise continued into the 2nd half as the Immortals were able to keep the Titans off the scoreboard for the next twenty minutes.

Thirty Minutes.  

Forty Minutes.

Thankfully, the Titans defenders were able to neutralize Lanka and the Immortals offence for an equal period of time.  

With only 6 minutes remaining in the game, disaster struck in front of the Titan goal.  An accidental collision between Titan defender Tarik Girma and goalkeeper, resulted in a dislocated shoulder for De Sisto.  Usian Busara was called in to finish match.

This turned out to be the pivotal moment.  With five minutes left and their season on the line, Salgado made his move as he shifted to an offensive attack formation – 3 forwards, 4 midfielders, and 3 defenders. No risk, no reward.

Titans mounted wave after wave of pressure on a tiring Immortals team in the dying few minutes.

And it paid off as the Immortals’ Jag Parker committed a foul outside of their own penalty area which resulted in a free kick awarded to the Titans.

After a quick team consultation, Jube Terrell took the kick.

Instead of taking the more frequently used inswinger kick, Terrell delivered an outswinger kick that bent away from the goal, out of reach from the startled wall of Immortals players and from the goalkeeper who instinctively lunged after the ball.

Captain Raenia Ware, criticized for not producing goals in the regular season, gets the all-important equalizer to keep Titans alive.

Raenia Ware streaked in from the left side, leaped and connected with a deft header that sent the ball the other direction, top right corner, and away from an overly committed goalkeeper on the left side.  Goal!  And the game was tied 1 -1 at the 89th minute.

Just when it looked like regular time was over, with both teams resigned to Overtime Penalty Kicks to decide their fate, a fantastic long pass out of the Titans defence by Maria Carballal caught the Immortals players off guard, and caught the foot of a rushing Tarik Lema Girma who controlled the ball and dispatched a superb chip over the Immortals goalkeeper from the edge of the penalty area.

For the deciding goal and win! 2 – 1 Titans over Immortals.

And as the Titans players jumped all over Grima to celebrate, the Immortals players and manager rushed the referee to confirm that the game ending whistle and signal had indeed been delivered before the goal.

No whistle, no signal. Goal stands. And then the game ending whistle and signal came shortly afterwards.

“We had control for the majority of the match but we let this one slip away in the final minutes,” said a dejected Lanka afterwards. “I wasn’t the best player today and I will take full blame for our team’s loss.”

“It ain’t over till it’s over,” said a jubilant Ware in the post-match locker room celebration. “In this game, you play hard until the final end. Our team never gave up. The Best Team won today.”

Titans advance to the Finals and await results from tomorrow's Comets vs. Al'Amal Match.

Men's Marathon Finale

Aquarius 27, 2077, m249

Who would have thought a sport like Pathfinder could ever exist, particularly on a planet where the baseline for survial is already off the charts on the difficulty scale.  Yet, in so many ways, it is fitting that the colonists that already live on the edge, continue to push the threshold, to go that one step farther towards precarious existence.

According to the sources within the immigration council, there has been a 25% increase in applications from Earthers looking to immigrate to the colonies. Could Mars' popularity be directly tied to the risky sports we play, the way we live our lives and how we face adversity?   This is the stuff that makes the population of an entire planet collectively feel pride.

Today, the final stage in the Men's Pathfinder Marathon concluded in epic fashion.  From the pool of 53 men that started 8 days ago, only 18 remained to face Melas Chasma, the deadly vertical ascent and the race along the rim of the canyon toward Marineris.

Alan Sawyer takes Stage 5 for Columbia Hills.

The climb not be merciful and was quick to claim the first victims.

Pylypovych (KMH) withdrew shortly after passing the 1/2 way mark , "I stopped to rest, thinking I would catch my breath.  After 30 minutes sitting on that ledge, I knew I was finished.  It was no longer safe for me to continue."

Carlos Fernandes of San Olympus and favourite Gunvir Pachehra would both fall at the steepest point.  Fernandes would be finished due to a broken hip.  But for Pachehra, it would seem, two cracked ribs on top of his broken wrist wasn't enough to stop him.  He was a man on a mission.

Fredrick Mallette was forced to drop out just metres from reaching topside.   His equipment, taxed over days of competition, started to fail.  With a system failure warning in his EV suit that he was unable to silence, he was disqualified by officials, leaving a battered Pachehra and Samual Gates as the last representatives of Europa.

Even after the punishing climb, the relatively straightforward course that remained continued to weed out the pack.  One by one they succumbed to exhaustion, literally dropping mid-stride.  Nicholas Buruk of KMH who had held 1st position after the ascent and Jason Zhuan, winner at Calydon Fossa, conceded well before the final stretch.

It would be Alan Sawyer who would enter Marineris first.  Upon crossing the threshold into the airlock, Sawyer took Stage 5 with a time of 7 hours and 29 minutes.

Marshall Shannon (HDX) came in second at 7 hours and 51 minutes, followed by Owen Dubad of Marineris 7 minutes later.  Dubad tore off his helmet and called out, "It's good to be home, Marineris!", to the cheering crowd.

Favorite Raihaan El-Morad finished in 7th position while a broken, but jubilated Pachehra successfully crossed the finish line in 8th position, where he was immediately whisked away by a waiting medical vehicle.

Only 19% of the starting pack made it through all 5 stages; a reminder of how incredibly difficult the challenge is.

Final award ceremonies will be held tomorrow evening after the completion of the Women's Stage 5 run.

Liu Steals the Lead in Thrilling Women's Stage 4

Melas Chasma is wide open terrain with little shelter from the harsh wind storms that can blow up at any minute. But today is a beautiful day on Mars—with low winds and great visibility.

Geneva Liu took advantage of that and powered through the Melas Chasma to dominate Stage 4.

The 35 year old had done moderately well thus far and run consistently in the middle of the pack. But today she blazed past all other racers to finish the stage with a 90 minute lead! This has got to be a new record for the Pathfinder Marathon.

Liu celebrates after crossing the finish line.

“This marathon is about strategy as well as physical strength,” said Liu, “You can’t forget that it’s about the long game. it’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of a single stage and overlook the big picture.” 

Gardner and Naghiyeva clocked in after Liu at 11h 56m and 12h 23m respectively.

---

No stage is without its casualties. And today, marathon front-runner Luisa Murilla took a huge hit.

Murilla underestimated the height of a deceptively small drop-off and a bad landing left her with scrapes and bruises along her left leg and elbows. “The injuries are mostly surface cuts and don’t affect my running. But I lost a lot of time. And you get rattled after a fall like that.” the 24 year old said after a quick checkover by the medic-drones. 

She continued on doggedly, but at a more cautious pace. 

Murilla was able to make her back up the ranks with some well-timed attacks, but was unable to regain top 5.

fatigue hits runners as they toil their way through the melas chasma

Meanwhile Sadhana Adwani of Marineris and Helia Aluwalli of San Olympus both took DNF’s early into Stage 4. Both racers suffered from severe cramps and had to tap out after just 30 km into the course.

Things looked a little touch-and-go for Myriam Snyder of KMH for a while when her running blades cracked. The resourceful 23 year-old was able to repair the blade with supplies she had on hand. “Growing up in a small settlement means you have to be make do with whatever you get,” said Snyder.

The end of Stage 4 leaves us with 14 racers to continue in the fifth and final stage of the 2077 Pathfinder Marathon. 

Pathfinder Medic Operations

Aquarius 24, 2077, m249

Dr. Pan-Onatam heads the Medical Support Team for the Pathfinder Marathon.  

After 7 days of competition in the solar system's most physically demanding sport, it isn't just the runners who get worn down.

The Marathon currently employs more than 40 staff; for every human employee, there are roughly two additional robots, so it takes a significant crew to plan and manage this event.

The busiest of this contingent is arguably the Medical Support Team.  Consisting of 4 members, lead by Dr. Dwayne Pan-Onatam, they are on call 24/7 over the course of the program.  What keeps them busy around the clock isn't just the racing, they play an important cross function for the games. 

"My team's primary role is to provide medical services over the duration of the games," explained Dr. Pan-Onatam, "We are also charged with the responsibility of working with the Anti-Performance Enhancement Tactics Committee (APC).  So, we work alongside our counterparts to monitor and detect possible infractions."

Competitors are outfitted with numerous sensors prior to race-time, including APC issued equipment that actively sample blood, sweat and urine.  Though explicitly not publicized as part of the official game policies, there have allegedly been as many as 3 disqualifications due to some form of unsanctioned performance enhancement.

"These are actually very difficult to detect," according to Dr. Pan-Onatam, "But not because our instruments are not accurate.  Many of the contenders are extremely clever in the technical arts, so they try to beat the system by hacking into either the hardware or the backend. If our analysts suspect any manner of tampering, I deploy a medic-drone to investigate first before sending staff."

But doping and other cheats aren't what keep Dr. Pan-Onatam and organizers awake at night.  Their top concern is the safety and wellbeing of all participants, staff and spectators.  So far there have been 25 reported injuries, most have been minor with challengers opting to defer medical assistance.  The worse cases have included Ben Obalambo's concussion, Hannah Chao's knee injury, and Jamal Carter with a leg fracture.  There have been other scary moments involving collisions, falls, and all manner of wipeouts, but fortunately there haven't been any life threatening incidents.

"Let's face it," said Dr. Pan-Onatam, "It's dangerous out here on so many levels.  There have been almost as many DNFs due to EV Suits failures for radiation as those that have resulted from mental or physical exhaustion.  We've never run a marathon of this scale before, so the next time they ask me, I am going to demand double the medical staff."

Pachehra Owns Stage 4!

Aquarius 24, 2077, m249

Gunvir Pachehra dominates the field, crossing the finish line in 10 hours and 07 minutes, more than an hour and a half ahead of 2nd place Fedir Pylypovych (KMH).

To put his feat into perspective, Pachehra achieved an average running speed of 36 kph over the 360 km course.  The mechanical advantage of modern blades can propel a runner on Mars up to 60 kph in ideal conditions – Note: Melas Chasma was far from ideal today.  

The floor of  Melas Chasma is a combination of rough eroded canyon and fine ash-like particles.  At many points in the race, the runners stirred up so much dust that visibility was severely reduced.  Staying in front may have given Pachehra a critical advantage.

Europa's Pachehra has a lot to smile about.  Today, he wins his second stage, conquering Melas Chasma.

At the 100 km mark, Pachehra slipped after hitting loose debris.  He skidded, fell back onto one arm, but was able to push himself back to a running position.  It was only after the race when examined by medical staff, it was revealed that he had suffered an injury in that incident.  Pachehra had run 260km with a broken wrist.  Though he had overcome adversity to win the stage, it is unclear if he will be able to participate in the final stage on Saturni.   Chasma Rim will require significant climbing before the final sprint to the finish line in Marineris.

Whether he runs stage 5 or not, Pachehra has become a hero across Mars.  Such a physically demanding sport was thought to be for the young, but this year clearly defies that belief.  At 40, Pachehra is not even the oldest runner in contention.  Fellow Europa racer, Mathius Steinback is 53 and came in a respectable 8th today. 

A total of 5 runners withdrew from the course.  Most notable was David Atieno, the only VEX contender.  Vallis Expeditionary Corporation is not only one of the primary sponsors of Pathfinder, it is widely considered the founding settlement of the sport.  

With only 19 runners remaining, they will face the final 240 km along the rim of the Valles Marineris.  

Murilla Triumphs Through the Chaos

24 year old Luisa Murilla holds onto her lead as she heads the pack towards the finish line through the Chaos! 

Day 4 of the Women’s Pathfinder Marathon challenges racers with a steep descent down the Tithonium Chasma and through the canyon systems of the Candor Chasma. The 200 km course takes place over the course of a single day. Athletes will need to navigate their way through unpredictable and cracked terrain appropriately named the Candor Chaos.

Stage 3 marks the halfway point of the entire marathon and racers are starting to run ragged.

Murilla and Kang battled it out at the start of the course as they jostled for first. However, a risky gamble by Kang to jump a rocky gully sent her stumbling. It cost her precious seconds, and the lead. Not only was she unable to regain her position, Kang was quickly overtaken by fellow racers and finished in 11th place.

Sangeeta Mahawal of Amrita gave an impressive performance as the 30 year old came in second. Mahawal had a rocky start—a stretch of loose rubble along her chosen route forced her to forego her running blades. But by the afternoon, Mahawal had caught up to the rest of the racers. "I knew  had to be really aggressive to make up for lost time," she said.

Anya Pande of Europa regained her position in the top 5 after a disappointing run in the Calydon Fossa of stage 2

The Canyon Takes its Toll

Nine racers were eliminated from the running.

Despite running in the top 5 for this stage, Otar Anderson dropped out halfway through the race after a misplaced step sent her careening down the side of a cliff. While she sustained no injuries, the visibly shaken 27 year old decided not to continue the marathon. She said, “I’m proud of everything I’ve accomplished in these 4 days—it was an once in a lifetime opportunity for me. And I wish all the other challengers the best of luck!”

A careless step sent Marineris runner Ida Horn crashing to the ground and irreparably cracked her life support pack. Support drones were able to quickly pick her up before she suffered from prolonged exposure to the Martian atmosphere.

Other racers were unable to complete the course due to sheer exhaustion and the end of the day saw 20 challengers left of the original 40.

Men's Stage 3 - Chaos Decimates

Aquarius 23, 2077, m249

The story of the day for the men's heat was simple: They dropped like flies.

This was the 4th day of racing for the men and it was apparent how worn down they had become early in the day.  With the start point at the centre of Tithonium Chasma, the 200 km course across the canyon system into Candor Chaos presented unique challenges for the runners.  Though appearing mostly smooth, the floor of the Chasma is mostly composed of pristine landslide material, making for an unpredictable running surface. 

Segments of the course were too soft for blades.  Racers were often required to dismount and run on foot using poles to keep balance.  All of this extra effort compounding on the already weary pack.

By mid morning, Bavash Yalaran (Marineris) called it quits after 54 km.

Before lunch, Xue Feng Fu and Sam Kashmiri, both from San Olympus, tapped out at 56 km and 58 km respectively.

As the terrain shifted heading into Candor Chaos, Michael Pan (Europa) collapsed at 115 km.  2 km back, upon seeing Pan drop down, Paul Borroni (Novyimir) made the decision to end his race.

Jamal Carter (Columbia Hills), who started with a commanding lead for the first half, maintained a top 5 position through most of the day until an unlucky step caught a blade and his leg snapped as his body twisted around his fixed leg.

This opened up the opportunity for Owen Dubad (Marineris) to take the lead.  Dubad did not let it go to waste.  Pacing himself carefully against Samual Gates (Europa), Dubad was able to hang on to take the Stage.

Behind him, 9 more racers withdrew, calling it quits and conceding to Candor Chaos.  In total, 15 racers did not finish, the largest single drop off in this year's competition.  This leaves 23 runners for the final 2 stages.

"A lot of notable contenders went down today," said Garin Papaviny, former Pathfinder Champion, "Mehrad Shirani and Jamal Carter were favourites from bootcamp that I thought had a chance, but Pathfinder is merciless.  Tomorrow we will see how the women fair against Chaos."

Panchehra (Europa), winner of stage 1, finished in 18th position.  Crowd favourites El-Morad (Al'amal), Rafeeq Afzal (Al'amal), and Marshall Shannon (HDX) survive for Stage 4.

Murilla Sprints to Finish in Calydon Fossa

Runners sprint towards the finish line of Stage 2.

Murilla takes back the lead and finishes first in a breakneck dash for the finish line! 

She attacked aggressively in the last 5km of the race and was able to hold on to her three-second lead all the way to the end. The 24 year old Mars native was born and raised in Europa, and the settlement could not be prouder.

She said, “The last 3 kilometers was crazy for me! I knew I had a half a kilometer burst of full-out sprinting left in me and I just used that to get the lead. I just attacked with everything. After that focused all my energy into keeping it. That’s the only thing I had on my mind.”

Strong winds battered challengers as they approached the mouth of the valley, reducing visibility at times as clouds of dust were kicked up. San Olympus challenger Lauren Maikini lost her position as in second place and dropped to sixth.

Otar Anderson of Amrita crept up from fourth place and came in second, a few seconds after Murilla. Third place went to Jaslene Gardner, the 46 year old challenger from Mareotis.

Stage 2 of the Women’s Pathfinder Marathon wrapped up today at 18:42—runners have been out on the field for over 11 hours and will be taking a well-deserved break before the Marathon continues.

Women's Stage 2 Runs Today

07:00 And we're off to the races!

Stage 2 of the Women’s Marathon started out strong on a clear Solis morning.  The route takes runners in a seemingly straightforward path through the Calydon Fossa. But as evidenced but the men’s race two days prior, injuries await the careless in this rubble-filled terrain

With runners closely packed, positions change quickly and constantly in this first leg. But Luisa Murilla of Europa has established a clear lead early on in this race. Murilla had placed in the bottom half of runners for Stage 1 and seems determined to redeem her performance with an impressive sprint out of the starting gate.

Tight on the heels of the 24 year old Murilla is San Olympus challenger, Lauren Maikini. Jen Kang of Chariton trails only a few seconds behind Maikini.

Kang is the sole challenger from the remote mining facility of Chariton. She seems as scrappy as the small but quickly growing settlement and is definitely out to prove something.

Despite some early troubles with her running blade, Katarina Sundqvist was able to quickly make up for lost time and by mid-morning had caught up with the leading pack and is currently running in sixth place.

---

13:30 Half Day Check-In

Noon finds the runners have fallen into a line as the forerunners maintain their lead. Endurance is the name of the game now as challengers have long hit their stride and are just focused on maintaining their position. 

Maikini (San Olympus) and Murilla (Europa) are neck and neck now as they lead the pack with only a third of the course left to finish.

Meanwhile, Ze Xian Zhou of Tiangong has covered tremendous ground in the last 2 hours and has moved from her starting positions of 16th to be in the top 10. Winner of stage 1, Elaine Nguyen had a slow start in the Calydon Fossa, but has steadily made her way to the top ten as well.

Mechanical issues have plagued the challengers and Sundqvist and Cordeiro have dropped from the top 10 to the latter half of the group. A malfunctioning helmet lock-seal forced a third challenger, Julie Ferreira of San Olympus to drop out of the race half-way.

“Am I disappointed? Or course!” said Ferreira,”I know I could have gone so much further. But in a race like this, a runner is only as good as her equipment.” 

The terrain has taken its toll as well. 3 challengers have dropped out so far and have been shuttled back to Marineris to recuperate.

Men's Stage 2 - Calydon Fossa

Aquarius 22, 2077, m24

Heavy winds delayed yesterday's  start for the men's Stage 2 race.  Runners waited impatiently in a staging vehicle before the winds died down and officials were able to give the all-clear to race at Calydon Fossa.

The course:  a 250 km track along the long shallow depression, ending with a climb up the plateau to the middle of Lus Chasma.  Though it is a much smoother terrain with a designated path, wind and inconsistent surface conditions increased the difficulty of this otherwise straightforward stage.

All 45 runners dawned their blades for the challenge and made a clean, fast start from the gate at 10:30.

Based on pre-race trials, Thomas Pederson (Tiangong), Evan Silva (Marineris), Samual Gates (Eurpoa), and Hakim Ramsey (Marineris) rank as the strongest endurance runners, but fresh off the momentum of Noctis Labyrinthus, Pachehra (Europa), Shannon (HDX) and El-Morad (Al'amal) took the early lead.

Shortly after checkpoint 3 at 75 km, Daniel Kwan (Marineris) lost balance from a gust of wind and crashed into fellow Marineris runner, Clayton Mitchell.  The two tumbled to the ground as others quickly manoeuvred around or over them. Both men were uninjured, but a frustrated Mitchell walked off and did not return to the race.  Kwan did resume running, however, after 1 km, he too withdrew from the race, claiming he had hit the wall.

El-Morad (Al'amal), Pederson (Tiangong), Pylpoovych (KHM) and Zhuan (Haucheng) gained distance from the main pack.  Zhuan held a narrow lead in 1st position at checkpoint 5.

On multiple occasions, strong headwinds forced runners to stop.  For some, this was a welcome unscheduled break.

By the halfway point, Evan Silva had taken the lead and Stage 1 winner, Pandehra (Europa) was able to manoeuvre into 2nd position. 

Rura Misra (San Olympus) withdrew at the 157 km mark suffering from cramps.

Jason Zhuan of Haucheng takes Stage 2.

In the  final 25 km of the race,  Zhaun had a second wind, fighting back from 4th potion to take Stage 2  a time of 8 hours, 8 minutes.

Panderha held on for second with  Rafeeq Afzal (Al'amal) at his heals crossing the line just 15 seconds after.  Afzal, who came in last on the Noctis Labyrinthus course expressed surprise at his own performance.

"This is an incredible result for me," Afzal said, "It's hard to gauge your chances when you barely survive the first round, so this is a huge confidence-builder for Stage 3."

The last stretch heading into Lus Chasma claimed the most casualties on the course, including frontrunner Evan Silva who collapsed from exhaustion midway through his ascent.  Thomas Pedersen who was in the top 10 for much of the race also had to withdraw when one of his blades broke at the 228 km mark.   A total of 9 runners were scratched when all was said and done, leaving 38 competitors for Stage 3.

MAFL Award Night

Aquarius 22, 2077, m249

Last night in Europa was Party Time for the MAFL!

For one night, all MAFL players, coaches and officials could cut loose and be free as they celebrated the season with the first ever MAFL Awards Dinner, hosted by Aiger Masing.

It was an extravagant gala held at Masing Hall, complete with red carpet and flowing champagne.

Free and uninhibited was one Readale Nash, as he adorned a flamboyant purple tuxedo with matching boots.  Nash with 8 goals of the season was up for the MVP award against Al’amal’s Musaddiq Baddour (10 goals) and the Immortals Uday Lanka who led the league in goals scored with 14.

“I feel lucky tonight,” said Nash as he arrived on the red carpet, accompanied by San Olympus A-list socialite Sasha Bayley, 21.

The nominees were submitted by peers in the organization and the winners were selected by an executive committee led by Masing.

"This is an important night to recognize our peers," opened Masing, "But before we do that, we must celebrate what we have accomplished together.  It wasn't easy to bring the MAFL to life.  We had many nay-sayers, so completing our first regular season, in itself, is an achievement we all must be proud of."

Defender of the Year

The first award presented on the evening was for Defender of the Year. Two Comets players, Stephen Liu and Samantha Park were up against the Titans’ Maria Caraball.

The award went to Stephen Liu who anchored the team’s air tight defence and led all defenders with 5 goals for the season.

“I’m thankful for this award but honestly, it easily could have gone to Samantha or Maria as well,” said Liu.

Goalkeeper of the Year

The goalkeeper nominees were Titans Icilio De Sisto, Al’amal SC’s Ahmed Pour and surprisingly United’s Yvonne Barnato who moved to a forward position after Week 15.

De Sisto and Pour both led the league with fewest goals allowed at 19. Barnato was one of the leaders at Week 15 and also led her team with goals scored at the time.  

De Sisto ultimately took the award based his league leading 9 shutouts.

“Thanks to my teammates for their solid defence all year to help me get this award”, said De Sisto.

Best Team

De Sisto returned to the stage shortly after as his team, the San Olympus Titans, ran off with the Best Team of the Year award over the Marineris Comets and Al’amal SC.

The Titans ended up with the best overall record in the league at 16 and 5, gave up the fewest goals in the league (tied with Al’amal) and at one point had a 12 game winning streak during the season.

Which then came as no surprise that Titans manager Paulo Salgado would take the Manager of the Year award over the Comets Gordan J. Pryce and Al’amal’s Haajid Nasr.

“I tip my hat to Paulo” said Nasr. “Our team scores the most goals this year (36) and let in the fewest goals (19) and we still end up with 5 less wins that the Titans. I’d love to know Paulo’s secret to success.”

Most Valuable Player

The most coveted prize of the evening came last;  individual success would be recognized as the MVP.

And the Award went to… Immortal's Captian, Uday Lanka, not only for his 14 goals which helped lift his team to a playoff spot, but also for his leadership and excellent conduct as an ambassador to the sport.

“It’s a great honour which I owe to my teammates so tonight I’ll celebrate with them but tomorrow we get ready for the Titans,” said Lanka.

Not all were in agreement with Lanka being chosen as MVP.

“No disrespect to Uday but in our last match, he got red carded which left his team on the losing side. Not sure if that’s how you’d define sportsmanship conduct,” said Nasr.  

Immortals manager Andam Mirza shrugged off Nasr’s comments afterwards, “Al’amal has Baddour, Farra and Fayad who were all in the top five for scoring. Without Uday, we would have no business being in the playoffs, so he deserves this award like no other.”

Between drinks, Nash shared his thoughts, “Personally, I think the MVP should go to the best player on the best team. Last I checked, the Titans were the best and I had the most goals on that team. That’s okay. Do you see who I’m with? I’m the one going home with the real prize tonight!”

Most Valuable Masing

There was one unofficial award that was uncontested.  Owners, players and managers all raised a glass for Aiger Masing.  

Indeed, the MAFL would not have existed without his individual efforts and financial contributions.  He fought through the red tape with colonies across Mars and built professional sports on a planet that never planned on having it.  Though the ups and downs, he's stuck with it and tonight, he was rewarded with the respect he has earned.

Tales From The Pitch - Gamblers

Aquarius 20, 2077, m249

For over a hundred years Las Vegas has been a tourist Mecca for gamblers from all over Earth. And the faithful still flock there to play blackjack, shoot craps, or enjoy VR slots. But with a decline in non-virtual sports the city also saw a decline in sports betting. You can still bet on VR games of course, but they were never able to shake the negative assumption that VR games could be rigged, and so only the strongest-willed of gamblers lay money down.

Las Vegas bookies have been watching MAFL with great excitement; a new live-action sport that holds interest on more than one planet? The bet-makers have been all over it. It checks off a lot of boxes to hold interest for sports betting: it is an exciting game, it is not easily influenced by outside forces, and the league is large enough to make multiple game bets interesting.

So yesterday the newsfeeds from Earth announced that Las Vegas will begin taking bets on the next season of the Mars Aero Football League. While there was much discussion about taking bets on this inaugural season, there wasn’t enough data to ensure that the game was successful. Congrats Mars! Your game is successful enough that Earthers want to gamble on it! Joking aside, the fact that Vegas odds-makers are interested shows that the sport has achieved a level of legitimacy.

Betting can be done on a single game, with bets placed on either the winner of the game or who will score the first goal. This first season has provided those gambling mathematicians with enough data to set odds on the teams based on past performance, and the odds will be released during the off-season.

I’ve heard from a few sources inside the Nevada gaming commission are fielding questions from potential investors and government officials about setting up a New Vegas on Mars. All of this would only be in the idea stage, and it isn’t as if one can just hop on a bus to Mars and set up a casino, but the interest in establishing other settlements on Mars is growing.

I’ve also heard from many detractors who were not happy that there will now be betting allowed on MAFL. The sport will need to be closely monitored for collusion, and no player will be able to place bets on the sport themselves. There is also worry that the may lead to problem gambling on Mars, a vice that has not quite yet made it to the Red Planet (there is already lots of betting overlooked by local authorities). These concerns are real, and it will be up to the league and to settlement governments to ensure that for all the positive things that this change may bring, we must ensure that the negatives don’t detract from the successes we’ve built here.

Expansion has growing pains, and not everything that growth brings will be universally loved but it all, but it is part of this grand experiment. So I would encourage any doubters to keep an open mind. I’ve already got my money on the Titans for next year!